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Definition

Glaucoma is a slowly progressive eye condition that causes damage to the optic nerve. It is the leading cause of blindness among African-Americans and older adults in the United States. Because there are usually no symptoms early on in the disease, about half of the people with glaucoma do not even know they have it.

Description

Over two million people in the United States have glaucoma, and 80,000 of those are legally blind as a result of the disease. Glaucoma can strike any age group, even newborn infants. Susceptibility to the disease increases with age. African-Americans are at a three times higher risk of glaucoma than the rest of the population.

There are at least 20 different types of glaucoma. These can be divided into four main types:

• Open-angle glaucoma. Accounts for over 60–70% of all cases. It is usually chronic and often bilateral.
• Closed-angle glaucoma....